Friday, December 23, 2005

They Said It:

"Mike Moffett is having his knee operation the old Marine way: no anesthetic, sewn up with a dull fishhook and an old shoestring between pushup sets." - Doug Ricard's characterization of his Over 35 League basketball teammate's recent knee surgery.


Moffett, the chair of the Sports Management program at New Hampshire Technical Institute and a weekly columnist, wrote of his surgery in his Weirs Times column. Take a peek:

http://www.weirs.com/archivepdfs/wtimes122205.pdf


“This is my first year in the last 30 years not ‘interacting’ with coaches. I have hung up my whistle. I can remember the ‘golden’ years of cutting my teeth (and thickening my skin) while doing three games a night at the Community Center. I had a very good run and have a bunch of fond and not so fond memories that began at the Center.” – Wes Cook on his retirement from basketball officiating.

Comment: Back in the days when I had the honor of running the Men’s Basketball League, we used only board certified referees to work the games, something that is nearly impossible now with 57 teams playing 28 games a week. Wes was one of a stable of guys – Chick Smith, Arthur Jackson, Jim Burney, Randy Daniels, Leon Kenison, among others – who honed their game at Green Street. What I liked most about Cook’s game was that he’d make any call, any place and if I was hiring high school officials, he’d be near the top of my list. Back in the day, the home school did the hiring and Wes didn’t care who was playing or who was paying. He’d make the call. Bronze that whistle, Wesley, and hang it somewhere for all to see……JDS


“I took Brian and Tony on a trip of a lifetime in October. We took in the ND-BYU game on October 22. What an experience!!! Not only did we get inside the Golden Dome and got to see all the Heisman trophies, but I got friendly with one of the assistant supervisors of ushers during the game and he took us down on the field after the game and took our pictures in front of the famous tunnel. (And yes I did grab a handful of turf, which is now in a baggie in my home office).” – Mike Sartorelli on his trip to the home of Touchdown Jesus.


“I played with T-Card until my knees couldn't take the pounding anymore at age 37. What is his secret?” - Dave Anderson on how Doug Ricard can still be going in the Men’s League at age 59.


The piece on Copulating for Williamsport drew an unusual number of responses, to wit:

“Sign me up and let me know when the tryouts begin!” – signed: Eager Beaver, from one of my (female) cousins after reading the piece on Copulating for Williamsport


“Loved the idea for spawning a Championship Little League Team! I fit the criteria for the switch hitter idea, but alas my ovaries have wilted!” – a female reader.

“Really enjoyed your Williamsport idea. I always could go nine so I'm going to step up and say with new medical advances I'm UP for a double header!!” – a former Concord resident who pays a lot of attention to baseball….from this post, perhaps a little too much.


“No oral exams for Williamsport?” – from one of my regular readers.


“By the way I`ve been to the Little League World Series for the past five years and it is a great experience. My sons, Cam (14) and Connor (11), love it there. If you are a baseball junkie like me its pure baseball heaven.” – David Angus on his real experiences at Williamsport.



“Your ‘take’ on producing a Little League ‘winner’ got me to thinking. If only I were a short fifty years younger, I'd be writing to say - ‘count me in’!” – from a dear friend.



“Feinstein praises Ray Lewis for being involved in the lives of his six children - even though they have four mothers, none of whom he is married to.” – from a friend suggesting that John Feinstein’s recent book about the Baltimore Ravens lacks a little cred.


So you think the popularity of Legion baseball has taken a dip in Concord in the past 10 years? Here’s a question I found in my email basket from a prominent sportswriter in New Hampshire who was preparing for a piece on Jed Hoyer a couple of weeks before his appointment as co-GM of the Red Sox:

“Jed played for Concord Post 21? Is that the correct name of the team? Do they still have a team?”

No discredit to the sportswriter…he’s great. But what does that say about the Legion program? Come on, guys, let’s get this thing back on track.



“Jeff: Thanks so much for the article (on Joe Shields). As you know I was the batboy on that Legion team. At a very young age I knew he was special, but didn't quite understand why then. I just knew he was my buddy and hero that wonderful summer. He played the game very Varitek- like in stature and he was physically tough as nails. Just another little piece of Concord that shaped who I was, and I’m damn proud of it. He taught me to eat lemons that summer. He'd cut a piece off, in the dog days of summer, and would say, ‘eat this so you won't be so thirsty.’ I couldn't smile all summer because I was puckered all the time. Wonder if he was bustin my chops??” – Mike McGrath on the passing of Joe Shields.


And here’s a few ways of knowing you’re from New Hampshire:

You consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping it will swim by.


You’re proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Mt. Washington is the coldest spot in the nation.

Your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May (except in Concord where Arnie re-opens to sell some Christmas trees.).

Someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there.

“Vacation” means going somewhere south of New York.

You measure distance in hours.

You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

You have switched from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.

You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.

You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked.

You carry jumpers in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

You find 10 degrees "a little chilly."

Giving Them the Bird

Remember Concord's Eddie Annal and his high flying friend Sam the Eagle? Here's another piece on how Eddie and Sam are wowing the local Cincinnati folks.

http://www.cinweekly.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050727/LIFE/507270360/1068

Monday, December 12, 2005

Running in the Street

Megan McGrath Runs the NYC Marathon


We receive gifts all year long. Some may be in the form of a couple of words...others may be a couple of paragraphs letting us know of something good in one's life. From time to time, people send us items that are important and heart warming. Here is a first person account of the New York City Marathon in November from Megan McGrath, the daughter of Mike McGrath, a native of Concord who has lived in Florida for decades now. Megan was running her second marathon and did so as a fund-raiser. Read on…..you can almost feel the crowd lining the streets of New York……:

Hello all -

I hope this email finds you all well..... with family and friends - possibly cooking up a large feast for Turkey Day. Sitting here on Thanksgiving Eve surrounded with a few of my loved ones I was thinking of you all.... as I am truly thankful to have you all in my life and thankful for the support you have all provided in some way throughout my training and/or running of the NYC Marathon.

I have to tell you all that you have to do it... maybe not run it, but you gotta go and see it-experience the energy. The day was nothing less than amazing. The streets were swelling as over 2 million spectators came out to cheer on the 37,000 competitors from around the world. The entire city seemed to be busting at the seams with crowds cheering for those of us that had decided to take on the 26.2 mile challenge.

At 6 am on the marathon morning Chris escorted me to the NYC Public Library leaving me with a big hug, kiss, and a fiery little pep talk. I caught a bus over to Staten Island - where I waited ANXIOUSLY in a grassy field with thousands of other people for a 10:00 start. It may have been my second marathon, but I was just as nervous. This time the weather was nice - opposite of the Disney Marathon that brought a chilly 35 degree start. Who would have thought that NYC November 6th would have us running in weather that rivals South Florida's balmy 70's. I was thankful.

When we were finally corralled into the starting areas Black Hawk helicopters hovered overhead while fire barges spouted red, white, and blue water. A cannon fired from Ft. Wadsworth signaled that it was time to get the show on the road.... and that road was straight up hill over the Verzzano-Narrows Bridge. The first 10 miles flew by.... I remember certain images but I felt so much energy from the crowd.... it felt as though I was on a treadmill set about five beats faster than I could run. I felt as though I was being sucked down the streets of NY and the louder the cheers were the faster my legs would take me. I was trying to force myself to slow down... as too fast in the beginning usually correlates to too painful at the end!! In my efforts of taking it slow I managed to high-five children all along the race course, pet a few super cute dogs, and wave to some of the firemen and police that lined the streets. One of the many bands that was performing along the race course incorporated my name into their song as I ran by (I had written my name in large letters and taped it to the top of my number bib).

We continued to wind our way through all five boroughs and over a few bridges....and FINALLY at mile 17 I got to see Christian, my Dad, and Katie. I cannot even begin to thank them enough for trekking up to NYC only to hope to catch a glimpse of me in the crowds. They have a picture of me with my mouth wide open in shock that I actually saw them. It was so crowded I had all but given up on seeing them so I was pumped for the next few miles... and then Central Park deflated me. I had done very little "hill training" while in Florida... to be more exact, none. Between the bridges and the rolling hills in the Park I was struggling. The last few miles weren't really fun at all. I was swearing to myself that as soon as I finished I was going to sign and seal some sort of contract where I agreed to NEVER run a marathon again - EVER.

Well, I finally finished after 4 hours and 11 minutes, which averages to about a 9 1/2 minute mile. I was too tired to do much of anything celebratory as I cross the finish line.... other than whimper and let out a sigh of relief. My legs were ready for mutiny and I wanted nothing more to find my family because I needed a hug. Finding them was another marathon altogether. It took over an hour for us to all meet up..... those 2 million spectators and the 37,000 runners made it difficult.

The following day Chris and I were lucky enough to get to shake hands with both winners (Paul Tergat (KEN) finished the marathon in 2:09:30 and Jelena Prokopcuka (LAT) finished in 2:24:41) at Tavern On The Green, which is where the finish line had been the day before. Needless to say that was closest I would ever be to those two phenomenal athletes at a finish line. I was in awe of their athleticism... but happy to see that Mr. Tergat had the familiar day after marathon gait - even the elite get sore!!!

Thanks to so many of you a total of $2,840 was raised and donated to the NY Road Runners Special Charity Programs. That is something that people that you and I will never even know will be thankful for - which makes giving it that more meaningful.

I would say that the crowd there that day helped me get through that race; however, it was all of you that helped me get there and that is priceless. I thank you all for your support, your donations, and for believing in me.

I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy the time with your family and friends - I will be thinking of all of you.

Kindest regards,
Megan

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Bits and Pieces - Holiday Issue

Off My Wall
December 2005

BITS AND PIECES

Stop it with the Bring Back Nomar crap. Ain’t happening and shouldn’t happen. Any of you remember breaking up with the same girl friend twice? Of course you do and the second time didn't last as long, wasn't as fun and only served to see if what you had the first time was worth it. And for the most part, the answer was NO!

The Red Sox finally recognized at the end of last season that the Era of the Stud Shortstop was over. Who needs to clone Jeter, ARod, Tejeda or Nomar (pre-wrist surgery). No reason to spend the equivalent of the GNP of third world countries on shortstops.

Instead the Sox realized that the Juan Uribes (White Sox), Adam Everetts (Astros), David Ecksteins (Cardinals) – representing shortstops of three of the final four teams in last year's playoffs – are perfectly capable of manning that position at considerably discounted prices, thus leaving millions to be spent on other positions.

At least that’s what I thought until Miggy Tejeda suggested he wanted out of Baltimore and into the shadow of The Monster (your choice as to whether that means Green Monster or David Ortiz).

Condolences to my baseball loving friends on the West Coast now that they have the Walking Brain Fart (Grady Little) managing the Dodgers.

Here’s my take on what’s happening in Red Sox Nation: As Theo was leaving, he told Lucky Larry that he was opening a printing company with this twin brother. Lo and behold, Larry tossed a fig leave Theo’s way telling him he (Theo) could have the printing contract for game programs next season. To make this profitable, Theo hatched this plan with his ex-henchmen to make all these trades which makes next season’s game programs an absolute necessity because you really “can’t tell the players without a program” next year.

This item will be considered prophetic to my basketball teammates – both high school and long-time men’s league: The first sign you see on my road says: NO OUTLET. Pretty fitting, huh?

Old friend Doug Ricard turns 60 this coming April and still gets up and down the floor quite nicely for two teams in the Men’s Basketball League – one in the B League and one in the Over 35 League. So if you’re wondering just how long Card plans on playing, don’t expect to unlace those Chucks anytime soon - his mother, a former player at Plymouth State (or more likely it was Plymouth Teachers School back then) is in wonderful shape having turned 100 in 2005.

You know, this grandfather thing sure can be fun, but recently it gave me reason to ponder:

What the hell is a dell? When was the last time you saw one? And have you ever used it in a sentence without having the word farmer also in the sentence?

Just wondering.

From scoring 50 points in a game at Nashua North last high school season to firing in 3-pointers for Boston University in the season opening game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University to going 6 for 9 from beyond the arc recently against UNH, life is pretty good for Merrimack High grad and BU freshman starter Corey Hassan.

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP:

Overheard at an A League game a couple of weeks ago at Green Street:

"You know....when so-and-so (name omitted to protect the unsuspecting) tells you something, you only have a fifty-fifty chance of it being true or false........and the other 50% you really can't be sure if it's true either."

Figure that one out and let me know what you think....

Remember when it was downright giddy around these basketball parts when the biggest of the big college basketball schools, hard on the recruitment trail, were showing up at Concord High to get a front row seat to watch Matt Bonner.

Along the way, Coach K took some foul shots at Green Street one night after flying into Concord Airport on the Duke private jet. Matt Doherty, then an assistant at Kansas, stood patiently and alone at the foul line after a game at Merrimack High just so the Bonners would make sure they saw him, not that his 6’7” stature would be hard not to notice at a New Hampshire high school game. Tommy Herrion, then an assistant at Providence, showed up at Concord High when Matt was about to break some scoring barrier even though he knew the Friars had little shot of landing Bon-Bon. And then there were all the telephone calls to Billy Haubrich’s house from people we normally watch on ESPN.

All of that for one kid.

So one can only imagine how hectic Jason Smith, the Merrimack Valley point guard in the Drapeau era, has it almost every year at his post as the head basketball coach at Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro). Not only a force in the New England prep school world, Brewster Academy – Jason – is a huge player in the major college basketball development process nationwide.Take a look at his roster and the early signees at Division I schools so far this season: Virginia (Will Harris 6'6 230lbs); Colorado (Xavier Silas 6'5 205lbs- son of former San Antonio Spur guard James Silas); LaSalle (Brian Grimes 6'7 220lbs); Winthrop (Rainer Blickle 6'7 190lbs); and Stony Brook (Kyle Wright 6'5 200lbs). And that doesn’t include three of his starters who will sign in the spring signing period, one of whom is down to Stanford and Columbia.

Not far behind is Jamie Arseneault, the former Portsmouth High and Colby College three-sport star who is the head coach at the New Hampton School. He already has three kids committed to Kansas, Southern Methodist and the University of New Hampshire and word along courtside is that another of his starters is heading to Dartmouth.

And just in case you didn’t notice, Jerome Dyson from Proctor Academy is listed in the Top 100 high school seniors and the shooter extraordinaire is heading to UConn next season.

Six former Division I college basketball players, a few pounds heavier, and for some a couple of steps slower, but none the less still playing, were on the floor together in Andy Pappas's Concord Men's A League season opener at the Green Street Community Center a couple of weeks ago.

Wasn't that long ago that the league was made up of former local high school players. Now the A League is loaded with former college players. Also was a time when there were only four teams in the entire league (United Life, IGA, Rumford Press and Universal Packaging). This year's count: 57!

The best laid plans of mice and men (no pun intended) : David Angus, from the South End Angus's, writes that Little League baseball has finally changed one of its rules. The birthday cutoff has been changed from July 31 to April 30 which means my Copulate for Williamsport event will have to be postponed to next August which isn't a bad thing.....the weather will be more conducive to outdoor procreation.

With this birthday change, I have three guys in my house screaming for a Do Over.

Don't know about you, but I'm writing to the AD at Notre Dame to let him know their football team needs another assistant coach or at least another student manager on scholarship. Someone needs to wipe Charlie Weis's nose. There's not another college football coach in America who has a runnier nose.....and on national television all the time, too.

I always love to see college basketball games in person when I visit our oldest son and his family in North Carolina over the Thanksgiving holiday. But this year, UNC-Charlotte was the real turkey as they shot 4 for 30 from three point land and 9 for 30 from inside the arc in a loss to Mississippi State. That's less than 22% for the entire game. They had nine points at the half....this from an experienced, senior-driven team. MSU, on the other hand, was filled with kids including a quartet of freshmen who played very well.

Gotta love the warmer climates. Charlotte Independence High was playing its 15th game of the season for the state football championship the Saturday after Thanksgiving. What do New Hampshire schools play, 10?

Anyone want to wager which box scores UNH hoops coach Billy Herrion checks first? Some place in my top three will be Purdue and Louisville. How come? Because each school has a New Hampshire freshman on its team and one would suspect playing time would be important to know for someone who is trying to build a better team in Durham. Chris Lutz (Trinity/Brewster) is starting at guard for Purdue and is the Boilermakers second leading scorer (11.5 ppg) and is second in minutes played per game (29.5 mpg). Chad Millard (Trinity/Brewster) has played in all four of Louisville's games averaging 2.5 ppg and 8 minutes per game.

And don't forget you won't find Luke Bonner's name in the West Virginia box scores this year as he's sitting out the season after transferring to UMass.

If you have real deep Concord roots and find yourself checking boxscores this winter, check out the College of Saint Rose and look for the name Will Monica, a 6'5" shooter and son of Paul Monica (CHS '66) who was the tallest defenseman in CHS hockey history.

Enjoy the holidays and get out there and wactch some of the local teams play. You'll be glad you did.

Jeff

Monday, November 07, 2005

Off My Wall
November 7, 2005

Plan Now for Williamsport

Ever have this urge to want to make a difference? Ever want to leave some type of legacy behind when your days are done? Do you have trouble finding something unique that you can call your own?

Me, too.

But I think I’ve found the answer.

I’ve settled on a plan to conceive, nurture, and develop a national championship Little League team. I’m taking Concord, New Hampshire to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, or is it South Williamsport, Pennsylvania now? When did it change, anyhow?

I have a plan to win the Little League World Series.

And it all starts with what I call Little League Planned Parenthood.

In case you haven’t noticed - and the national television puhbas are making it much easier for use to see Little League baseball on the regional, national and international level – most of the players in the Williamsport final rounds are 12-year olds. Dig a little deeper and you’ll find most of them are August and September births.

Which means we’re in the midst of an important time if we want to make it to Williamsport.

We are in a 60-day Copulate for Williamsport time period.

That’s right. You gotta do it NOW! And not just once. After all, none of us are so perfect that it only takes one shot to win.

For this to work, you have to conceive during the months of November and December. That way the births next summer will be in August and September.

Perfect for 12-year old Little Leaguers in 2019.

If you have a tendency towards premature births, you should take heed and postpone this citywide copulation drill until January.

But if you’re right on target with deliveries, drop your draws now.

Here’s my plan:

We need to find as many able bodied young adults, preferably married, who have decent size and oodles of athletic ability. If at all possible we need to have both partners former baseball or softball players.

Right-handed men should match us with right-handed women.

Left-handed men find your lovely left-handed lady.

Ambidextrous folk take special note: you’re our switch hitters of the future. Please take great care in finding partners equally adept at using both hands. Hey, the equivalent to spring training could be fun.

As an alternative for switch hitters, we may need to look for multiple orgasm folks out there, and only you know who you are. A friend suggested using right-handed fore play the first time and left-handed fore play the second…..never can tell but that might be the right stroke for switch hitters.

We’re scheduling a field day this weekend just after dark each night at Grappone Park in the North End (American League) and the new field off Iron Works Road in the South End (National League). Memorial Field is off limits, being a publicly owned field and all. Don’t want to make this any more difficult than it already is.

Shy folks should probably head towards the mattresses and blankets off Iron Works Road…..see, Grappone Park might draw a huge crowd up on the banking.

Our plan is to have a mattress at each and every position on the field and the conception tries will be broken into innings with one try per inning. That allows nine different couples to try out each inning so as many people as possible can partake in this Williamsport gambit.

There’s no time limit on innings, but try not to be the last one out there with all the other positions having gone back to the dugout. We hate to have the umpires move the game along just because of you.

My suggestion is if you want a future shortstop, you should copulate in the shortstop area. If you want an outfielder, the going might be a bit better because the grass is softer than the infield dirt. If you’re one of those who just have to a have a pitcher, then you’re copulating at your own risk: there may be a slight balancing act to stay on top of that mound.

In any event, we should have no problem finding willing participants. It’s a whole lot more fun than selling candy bars as a fundraiser.

Let the copulating begin!


Bits and Pieces

In case you missed it, Ray Duckler gave all us local fanatics a line for the ages in his fine story about the recent passing of big Joe Shields.

“His life is one of those hidden joys of this city, a big-screen theme known only to various classmates at Concord High….and area senior citizens connected to team sports back then.”

Doesn’t that aptly describe many of the athletes we knew Growing Up Concord? There’s a whole memory bank of people who fits that description very neatly.

Keep your eyes peeled on the Red Sox GM situation. Post 21 alums may have one of our own pulling the strings on Yawkey Way as Jed Hoyer, who played Legion ball for Warren Doane in the early 90s, has been mentioned often as a possible replacement.

Of course, another Post 21 grad, Brian Sabean, has popped up again and maybe all the moons are aligned this time for it to happen. I’ve always wanted to do this…..an informed source told me that a number of things are in Sabean’s favor this time around. Whew! My chest almost exploded.

There….I did it. Won’t tell you who or what…..just like the big guys.

If you know Sabes at all, are you wondering how in hell he’d get along with Larry the Lizard?

Think of it as Harvard-Yale on a small school scale. Think of it as an in-state football rivalry between two colleges a few exits apart on I-95 in Maine (of course, a couple of exits in Maine could be the equivalent to a time zone change in some spots).

Think of it any way you want, so long as you know there's a big -BIG - football game this weekend in Maine as Bowdoin (6-1) and Colby (6-1) have at it.

Why mention this? Because Bowdoin is led by pass catching whiz Jeffrey Nolin from Somersworth via St. Thomas....and more importantly the son of Jim and Joanne (Nadeau) Nolin who have some serious roots in our neighborhood.
Someone call Vehix.com and tell them to ditch that commercial with the guy sitting in his recliner dumping cars by pulling the chair gear shift.

Sexist Comment Alert! Sexist Comment Alert! Sexist Comment Alert!

Based upon her current body shape, does anyone else wonder if Summer Sanders really was an Olympic swimmer? Doesn’t seem possible, does it?

Word around town is that the Concord Country Club is parting with some serious ching to renovate and redesign part of the back nine to make it less forgiving.

Not that I’d be the proper gauge, but I never found the back nine to be the least bit forgiving in the first place especially those damn trees to the far left of the fairway on the 17th where by 3-wood took up permanent residency high, high up in the timber a few years back.

Of course, the back nine at the local mini-golf course in Hooksett is a challenge for me.

Anyone else wondering if the folks at NHTI got a strip mining permit before they dug up all that ground as you enter campus?

Actually it’s being turned into a multifield soccer complex in concert with a couple of private companies.

Pretty neat story line with the two CHS soccer captains doing rock-paper-scissors to determine who took the penalty shot in an early tournament game.

But I guess I’m either an old fart or too much of a traditionalist. I thought decisions like that was what the coach was there to do.

For some reason, I can’t see Bill Haubrich leaning against the scorer’s table at Lundholm smiling while Ethan Cole and Matt Bonner shoot fingers to see who would take key foul shots in a tournament game. Or Warren Doane perched on the top step of the dugout at Gill Stadium while Rick Flanders refereed the rock-paper-scissors shootout between Joe Lefebvre and Mike Curry to see who pitches the last inning for the championship.

Just can’t seem to grasp that scenario.

And speaking of Lefebvre. Here’s a local version of why Theo My Hero may have left.

A few winters back, when Matt Bonner was still in high school, Lefebvre visited the Concord High cage to catch some action. At halftime, Joey went to the scorer’s table and said hello to Warren Doane, his former high school coach, and Chuck Landry, the official scorer.

After his visit, Joe started around the court looking for a seat and spotted me, sitting alone in my usual spot. Being the only chump he recognized, Joe came up and settled in for the second half.

Or so he thought.

Bonner could have broken his leg, Red Murray could have come out of retirement, and Haubrich could have thrown his jacket across the floor and laid down in front of the bench (wait, maybe he did that that game!) and we wouldn’t have noticed. I couldn’t help myself. I had my own version of the Hot Stove League and we did nothing but talk baseball the entire second half.

It even got so bad, I asked Joe if he could take off his World Series ring (Phillies) and let me hold it. How bad is that?

Now just imagine Theo in Boston, his home town, and a million folks like me being there wanting to just say hi and start up a conversation. Could be the answer to why?

Ever seen a softball field with centerfield closer than left or right? Check out the women’s softball field at NHTI.

Ask your favorite baseball geek if he/she knows if there has ever been a World Series with two players with the same last name who played on opposite teams who were traded for each other? Naturally the Red Sox are involved. In 1999 the Red Sox traded Adam Everett, a promising young shortstop (who they didn’t need because of Nomar) to Houston for Carl Everett.

And is anyone else grimacing over the thought of Carl Everett wearing a World Series championship ring?

I don’t know about you, but now that Theo My Hero is gone, I’d trade Larry Luccino for Larry Andersen (again) straight up wherever he is.

Watching Houston’s pitching staff sure makes me wonder if all those 900+ runs the Sox scored behind its B-level pitching staff was worth it or not.

And watching the Cardinals, Astros and White Sox makes me ponder why so many major league teams went the route of the big stud shortstops a few years back.

Hard to pick against Eckstein, Everett, and Uribe for the money.

Anyone know if there is a Fantasy Baseball League for the Winter League?

Just wondering…..or is it wandering?

Jeff
Send messages to: offmywall2@yahoo.com


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